Educational Guide

What is Skip Tracing? Your Complete Guide to Finding Property Owners

Skip tracing is the process of locating property owners who are difficult to find. Learn how skip tracing works, why real estate investors use it, and how you can start finding contact information for property owners in minutes at just $0.01 per lead.

Quick Facts
  • 75-95% match accuracy
  • $0.01 per lead
  • 2-5 minutes processing time
  • 8 phones + 5 emails per owner
  • 100% legal using public records
  • No monthly fees

Skip Tracing Definition

Understanding the fundamentals of skip tracing and how it applies to real estate investing.

Skip tracing is the process of locating individuals or property owners who are difficult to find or have "skipped town." The term originated in the collections industry but is now widely used in real estate investing to find contact information for property owners.

In real estate, skip tracing involves using public records, databases, and data aggregation techniques to uncover phone numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses for property owners—especially those who are:

  • Absentee owners who don't live at the property
  • Out-of-state owners investing from afar
  • Heirs or estate owners after probate
  • LLC or corporate owners hiding behind entities
  • Distressed sellers facing foreclosure or tax liens

Modern skip tracing services like Tracerfy use advanced algorithms and massive databases to cross-reference public records and deliver verified contact information in minutes—not days or weeks like manual research would take.

How Skip Tracing Works

The skip tracing process broken down into 4 simple steps.

1. Upload Data

Provide property addresses or owner names via CSV upload or API integration. Include as much information as you have for better matches.

2. Database Search

Our system searches billions of public records, phone databases, credit headers, and proprietary data sources to locate the owner.

3. Match & Verify

Data is matched against multiple sources and verified for accuracy. We rank results by confidence level and recency of information.

4. Get Results

Download your results in minutes with phone numbers, emails, addresses, and more. Ready to import into your CRM or dialer.

Why Real Estate Investors Use Skip Tracing

Skip tracing solves the #1 problem in real estate: how to contact property owners directly.

Find Off-Market Properties

Contact property owners directly before deals hit the MLS. Skip trace driving for dollars lists, tax delinquent properties, and high-equity homes to find motivated sellers.

Locate Absentee Owners

Absentee owners are often motivated to sell but hard to reach. Skip tracing finds their current phone and email so you can make an offer.

Probate & Inherited Properties

Find heirs and estate representatives after a property owner passes. Enhanced skip tracing provides relatives' contact info to reach decision-makers.

Pre-Foreclosure Outreach

Reach distressed homeowners facing foreclosure before the auction. Skip tracing helps you contact them with solutions to stop foreclosure.

Tax Lien Investing

Find owners of tax delinquent properties to negotiate deals before tax sales. Many owners prefer selling over losing property to taxes.

Wholesale Deal Sourcing

Wholesalers need volume. Skip trace thousands of properties at $0.01/lead to fuel cold calling campaigns and find the next off-market deal.

Why Choose Tracerfy for Skip Tracing?

The most affordable, accurate, and fastest skip tracing service for real estate investors.

Unbeatable Pricing

At just $0.01 per lead with no monthly fees, Tracerfy is 90% cheaper than competitors charging $0.12-$0.50 per lead plus $99+ monthly subscriptions. Only pay for what you use.

Highest Accuracy

Our 75-95% match rate means you get valid, current contact information for the vast majority of properties. Multiple phone numbers and emails increase your chances of making contact.

Lightning Fast

Process 100,000+ records per day with results in 2-5 minutes. No waiting, no delays. Upload your list and download results immediately.

Comprehensive Data

Get up to 8 phone numbers and 5 emails per owner. Enhanced skip tracing includes relatives, aliases, past addresses, and business connections for hard-to-reach owners.

Compare Tracerfy vs Traditional Skip Tracing

Tracerfy Others
Price per lead $0.01 $0.12-$0.50
Monthly fee $0 $99-$299
Processing time 2-5 min 24-48 hrs
Match rate 75-95% 60-80%
Data points 8 phones, 5 emails 2-3 phones
API access ✓ Included ✗ Extra cost

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about skip tracing for real estate.

Skip tracing is the process of locating individuals or property owners who are difficult to find. In real estate, it's used to find contact information (phone numbers, emails, addresses) for property owners using public records, databases, and data aggregation techniques. The term "skip" comes from the phrase "skip town," referring to someone who has moved or is hard to locate.

Skip tracing works in 4 steps: (1) You provide property addresses or owner names, (2) The skip tracing service searches public records, phone databases, credit bureaus, and other data sources, (3) Data is matched and verified against multiple sources for accuracy, (4) You receive phone numbers, emails, and mailing addresses for the property owners. Modern skip tracing services like Tracerfy can process thousands of records in minutes.

Yes, skip tracing is legal when done correctly. Skip tracing services use publicly available information from sources like property records, phone directories, and public databases. However, you must comply with TCPA regulations when calling numbers, CAN-SPAM when emailing, and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act if collecting debts. Always use skip tracing data responsibly and ethically.

Skip tracing costs vary by provider. Traditional services charge $0.12-$0.50 per lead with monthly subscriptions of $99+. Tracerfy offers skip tracing at $0.01 per lead with no monthly fees or minimums. Enhanced skip tracing with relatives, aliases, and past addresses costs $0.15 per lead. You only pay for what you use, making it the most affordable option for real estate investors.

Standard skip tracing provides up to 8 phone numbers, 5 email addresses, current mailing address, and property owner names. Enhanced skip tracing includes up to 8 relatives with contact info, 5 aliases, 5 past addresses, business affiliations, and demographic data like age. All data is verified and sourced from public records and aggregated databases.

Skip tracing accuracy varies by data quality and service provider. Tracerfy maintains a 75-95% match rate, meaning 75-95% of records return valid, current contact information. Accuracy depends on factors like how recently the owner moved, whether they use their real name on records, and data freshness. Enhanced skip tracing offers higher accuracy by providing more contact points including relatives.

Normal skip tracing ($0.01/lead) provides basic contact info: phones, emails, and addresses for the property owner. Enhanced skip tracing ($0.15/lead) includes everything in normal plus up to 8 relatives with full contact info, 5 aliases, 5 past addresses, business connections, and age data. Enhanced is best for hard-to-reach owners, probate properties, or competitive markets where you need every advantage.

Tracerfy processes skip tracing requests in minutes, not days. Most orders complete within 2-5 minutes regardless of list size. You can process up to 100,000 records per day. Simply upload your CSV file, map the columns, and download results as soon as processing completes. There's no waiting period or manual review - results are delivered instantly.

Ready to Start Skip Tracing?

Join thousands of real estate investors finding property owners at $0.01 per lead. No credit card required to get started.

No monthly fees. Pay only for what you use.